


Tender Hearts

by chocobee



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 100 Ways to Say I Love You Writing Challenge, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-06-05 21:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15179465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocobee/pseuds/chocobee
Summary: There's more than one way to say, "I love you," and the four of them are well-versed in most.





	1. "Pull over. Let me drive for a while."

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a ["100 ways to say I love you" prompt list](http://p0ck3tf0x.tumblr.com/post/98502010026/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you) I found.
> 
> So hopefully this will be a fic I actually finish? I'm planning to update once a week to fill all 100 prompts, but we'll see how that really goes. Tags will probably be changing a lot as I add chapters and stuff. Most of it can probably be read as platonic or romantic, or just a specific pairing or ot4; it's kinda a mix of everything, so I just tagged all the ships to be safe I guess. Hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Noct makes Ignis take a break._
> 
> **Characters:** Noctis; Ignis; Gladiolus; Prompto  
>  **Pairings:** Gen or Ignoct  
>  **Tags:** Fluff; Slice of Life  
>  **Rating/Warnings:** G; None

Noct comes to slowly, to the sound of rain pattering against the windshield and the radio playing softly. He stares blearily out the window into the dark of the night as the slight bumps of the car start to wake him a little more.

Gladio’s asleep next to him, head tilted back against the seat and snoring softer than he normally does. His legs are spread as far as the limited room will allow, which is a little more than usual since Prompto had been nice enough to move his seat up a bit more in favor of curling up completely on it. He can barely make out Prompto’s form, legs tucked under him and pressed against the door. Noct still doesn't know how he finds it comfortable.

Ignis must hear him shifting around and know he’s awake, because their eyes meet in the rearview mirror. Ignis’s crinkle with a tired smile. That wakes Noct up completely, because how long have they all been asleep? How long has Ignis been driving?

He clicks his phone on, squinting at the brightness. His screen reads 2:13 am.

Noct sighs, because of course Ignis would have kept driving to let the rest of them get some more sleep. It’s stressful, sometimes, when he puts them all above his own wellbeing and burns himself out.

“Hey, Specs,” Noct says softly as to not wake the others, leaning forward between the front seats so Ignis can hear him better, “why don't you pull over? Let me drive for a while.”

“I’m fine,” Ignis protests immediately, voice equally as quiet.

“Ignis, you've been driving for like, seven hours.”

Ignis sighs, but pulls the car slowly onto the shoulder. Gladio lifts his head at the stop, but once he sees Noct and Ignis unbuckling their seatbelts and reaching for their doors he simply closes his eyes and shifts a little in his seat, crosses his arms across his chest, and goes back to sleep.

The rain has thankfully let up to nothing more than a slight drizzle, so they don't get soaked as they quickly get out and switch seats. They try to be as quiet as possible, but all the shuffling and doors closing has woken Prompto as well. He stares blearily at Noct and asks, “We th’re?”

Noct smiles gently at him. “Not yet,” he says as he buckles in.

“M'kay,” Prompto mumbles. He curls impossibly tighter and drifts off again.

Noct glances in the rearview mirror, and Ignis looks to be already asleep as well, mirroring Gladio’s position, and Noct’s glad he woke when he did - Ignis clearly needed the break more than he’d originally thought.

He pulls back onto the desolate road, occasionally looking at the GPS Ignis had left open at his phone.

The next time he looks in the rearview mirror, Ignis has tipped over onto Gladio, and Gladio’s arm has instinctively come to rest around his shoulders, pulling him close enough that Ignis’ head rests in the crook of his neck.

Noct smiles, leans over and snags Prompto’s camera to take a picture of the two of them at the next stop sign, and drives off into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://k-ovic.tumblr.com/) and [twitter.](https://twitter.com/choco_bee_) Follow for updates, and DMs are always open, so feel free to chat :)


	2. "It reminded me of you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompto receives a gift._
> 
> **Characters:** Prompto; Noctis; Gladiolus; Ignis; Iris  
>  **Pairings:** Fluff; Slice of Life  
>  **Tags:** Gen, Promptis, or polyship  
>  **Rating/Warnings:** G; None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, actually updating this on time? Even I'm surprised. Gonna try my best to post a chapter every Wednesday, so keep an eye out!

They’re stopped in Lestallum for a few days, to rest up and recharge after a long string of hunts and odd jobs. Iris accompanies them to the market, but their group quickly becomes scattered among the many stalls - Ignis no doubt looking for the best ingredients he can find, and Prompto likely getting distracted by something or other and wandering off on his own. Iris sticks close to Noct, and Gladio sticks close to the both of them, content to let Iris lead the way.

One stall catches Iris’ attention and she all but drags the two of them over to the table, covered in tons of little charms. Upon closer inspection, everything appears handmade, carved out of wood and painted in varying colors. Iris coos, and both men know Gladio’s going to be roped into buying at least one for her.

“Did you make all these?” she asks the woman on the other side of the table.

She grins brightly and says, “Sure did!”

“They're incredible!” Iris praises, and the woman flushes slightly.

“Thanks! Let me know if you see anything you like, okay?”

They smile and nod, then get back to looking. Noct’s eyes travel over dozens of charms, blue and pink and green. His eyes stop on a bright yellow one, in the shape of a chocobo, and immediately reaches for it.

Gladio laughs beside him. “For Prompto?” he guesses.

Noct laughs too. “Yeah. He’d like it.” Gladio hums in a agreement, and then Iris is shoving two more charms at him.

“Please, Gladdy?” she begs, entirely unnecessary since Gladio will do practically anything to make her happy. She’s got a moogle charm in one hand, a cactuar in the other - for Talcott, most likely.

He sighs, rolls his eyes, but turns to smile at the woman and says, “Just these three, then.” Once Gladio makes the necessary transaction, Noct stuffs the small chocobo in his pocket, and then they're exchanging thank-you’s with the woman and heading off in search of Ignis and Prompto.

“Thank you!” Iris squeals, practically hanging off Gladio’s arm.

Gladio chuckles and ruffles her hair, and she immediately pulls away, swatting and frowning at him. “No problem,” he tells her, grinning as she tries to fix her hair again.

The market is big, but not _that_ big, so finding Ignis isn’t really hard. It also helps that he’s exactly where they expect him to be, leaning over to inspect rows of spices while making idle chat with the salesman, no doubt exchanging tips and recipes. They wait patiently for him to finish up, Iris and Gladio browsing adjacent stalls while Noct keeps an eye out for Prompto.

He easily spots familiar blond hair through the crowd and directs them towards Prompto when Ignis is finally finished. He’s crouched a little awkwardly, snapping pictures of a stray cat lounging and soaking up the last rays of the setting sun. He grins at them and slings an arm around Noct’s shoulders as they walk.

Iris takes them to a tiny, tucked-away restaurant for dinner. The food is amazing - not as good as Ignis’, of course, but amazing nonetheless. They spend the rest of the night wandering the streets and talking about anything and everything until they can’t fight off exhaustion any longer.

They get back to the hotel much later than planned - which is okay, since they're not really on a schedule for once, just tired. Noct would have liked to be in bed and asleep an hour or two ago, but he’d had fun hanging out with everyone without having to worry about anything, so he figures it’s worth it. He just hopes Ignis will let him sleep in tomorrow.

Noct’s pulling his pants off when something slips from his pocket and onto the floor. “Oh,” he says, picking up the chocobo charm, “I almost forgot. Here Prom, Gladio and I got this for you earlier.”

Prompto approaches curiously, and Noct drops it into his outstretched hands. “Woah!” His face lights up as he inspects the charm. “This is so cool!”

“It reminded us of you,” Noct says, glancing up to Prompto’s hair with a chuckle.

Gladio and Ignis laugh too, while Prompto whines, “Dude, c’mon, my hair doesn’t look like a chocobo!”

But they can tell by the radiant smile he wears and the way he clips it onto the zipper on his bag that it means the world to him, and they know it won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://k-ovic.tumblr.com/) and [twitter.](https://twitter.com/choco_bee_) Follow for updates, and DMs are always open, so feel free to chat :)


	3. "No, no, it's my treat."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Noctis, Prompto, and chocolate milkshakes._
> 
> **Characters:** Noctis; Prompto  
>  **Pairings:** Gen or Promptis  
>  **Tags:** Fluff; Hurt/Comfort; Emotional Hurt/Comfort; Brotherhood Era  
>  **Rating/Warnings:** G; None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updating this thing! Had so much trouble with this chapter for so long for some reason, but here it is.
> 
> I'm not doing Whumptober anymore, which was a bit of a sad way to end 2018, but I had hoped to finish all the prompts before 2019. I couldn't, and I'm not feeling the same inspiration/motivation for that series that I did before, so I'm putting on hold, I guess. I still have plenty of ideas and notes for some of the prompts and even some half-written drafts, so I'll likely post them at some point as independent works instead of in the series.
> 
> For now, I'm gonna slowly work on updating this in between working on some other things I have planned out. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

“Are you sure Ignis won't be mad that you're going out this late?” Prompto asks, reaching down to toy with the sweatband on his right wrist anxiously.

“It’s cool,” Noct says. It’s definitely not cool, and Ignis is gonna give him hell if he finds out - which, knowing Ignis, he will - but Prompto doesn’t need to know that, because then he’ll spend the whole time worrying.

He’d texted Prompto nearly forty-five minutes ago to meet him at the Crow’s Nest between their places for milkshakes, a usual pastime of theirs, though never this late. Prompto had already been waiting outside, sitting besides the Kenny Crow statue on the bench outside and playing with his phone, when Noct had arrived.

They head inside and tuck themselves away in a corner booth, talking about whatever comes to mind until a waitress comes over to take their order - two chocolate milkshakes and a side of fries to split. The diner isn't busy at such a late hour, so everything comes out within ten minutes.

They talk and laugh while they eat. They’re easily the loudest patrons in the near empty place, earning them a few dirty looks from other late-night diner goers. At one point Prompto is convinced they're going to get kicked out, trying to explain through hysterical giggles to Noct that they need to _shut up,_ but it only makes them laugh harder.

Eventually their waitress comes over to ask if they need anything else, looking about as fed up with their noisiness as everyone else. She looks a little relieved when they decline, hurrying to grab their empty glasses and plate and disappearing with a promise to return with their check.

“Have a nice night,” she says with a bit of a forced smile as she places a singular slip of paper in between them.

Noct’s prepared for this, and swiftly snatches the bill before Prompto can. They both return her smile and thank her, and she heads off to another table.

“Thanks,” Prompto says as Noct digs through his wallet. He leaves enough cash to cover the bill, as well as a generous tip, and the two of them head out into the cool night. They automatically start for the park across the street and around the block.

They’ve been friends for a little over a year now, and Prompto still refuses to let any of them spend any money on him. He always insists on splitting the check or paying for himself, no matter how small the amount. On the rare occasions one of them is able to buy him something, he always pays them back no later than the next day, even if they try to refuse it. A week or so ago, during a trip to the arcade, Gladio bought them some sodas, and Noct had shared some of his change when Prompto had run out. He’d accepted both, so they figured he was over the whole not letting anyone pay for him thing. Except the next morning, after Prompto had gone home, Gladio found a few crumpled bills in his jacket pocket, and there was a small stack of coins left on Noct’s table, so maybe not.

Prompto opens his mouth to say something, but Noct cuts him off with, “You’re not allowed to pay me back. Royal decree.” Prompto stares at him as though he’s been caught red handed.

“Dude,” he says.

Noct waves him off. “No, no, it’s my treat.”

Prompto frowns, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket and kicking a pebble as he walks past. “Thanks,” he says, quietly.

Noct shrugs. “It’s really no problem. I dunno why you always make a big deal of me paying. It’s not like I can't afford it.”

“I know, it’s just…” Prompto trails off as they reach the entrance of the park, avoiding Noct’s gaze and opening the rusty metal gate to let them inside. It’s completely deserted, as expected - Prompto’s not sure they're even allowed to be in here so late, but no one's ever stopped them before - and they immediately head towards the lonely swings, swaying slightly in the night’s breeze.

“Just what?” Noct presses when it seems like Prompto isn't going to say more on his own.

Prompto gives him a small shrug. He kicks at the mulch beneath him, swaying with his swing, then takes a breath and says, “I dunno. I just don't wanna seem like a mooch or something.” Noct frowns, opens his mouth to respond, but Prompto continues before he can, “I just- I know you've had friends like that before, where they just wanted to hang out with you for your money or whatever, and I just don't want you to think that I’m like that, too.”

“Prompto, c’mon, you can't really think we’d think that of you? After this long?” Noct heaves an exasperated sigh when Prompto merely shrugs again. “You passed, like, all of Iggy’s tests, dude. We know you're legit.” Prompto kicks at the mulch again. “Look, there’s a difference between you expecting me to pay because I have more money and me offering to do it,” Noct explains. “That’s what friends do. Besides, what else am I gonna spend this money on?”

“I dunno, literally anything you want?” Prompto says with a lopsided grin.

“Well then I wanna spend it on you.”

That finally gets a laugh out of Prompto, a little loud in the emptiness of the park. “You’re such a dork, dude,” he says, shaking his head fondly.

Noct rolls his eyes. “For real, though,” he says, bumping their swings together. “I know you're not like that. And…” he trails off, but Prompto’s looking at him curiously, so he continues, “it means a lot to me, okay? That you're here ‘cause you want to be.” It comes out rushed and a little awkward, and Noct’s just glad there aren't many working lights around the park to let Prompto see how red his face is.

Prompto laughs softly again and smiles at him, and knocks his swing back into Noct’s. They lapse into silence, the only sounds being far away late-night traffic and the creaks of the old swing set whenever they go a little too high. Suddenly, Noct turns to Prompto and says, “Hey, would your parents get mad if you came over? Like, right now?”

Prompto snorts. “Doubt it. They're not home.”

“Are they away on business again?” Noct asks, eyebrow raised. “Weren't they just gone for a while last month?”

Prompto shrugs and says, “They're busy.” He doesn't have the heart to tell Noct that the trip his parents are currently on is still the same one from last month, and the month before, and that they hadn't come home last weekend like he’d said they did.

Noct frowns, but doesn't push. Instead, he asks, “Wanna come over, then?”

“Will Ignis mind?”

Noct waves a hand. “Nah. He won't be around until tomorrow afternoon anyway. Besides, it’s Friday. Or,” he pauses and glances at his phone, seeing it’s well past midnight, “Saturday, I guess. Either way, I don’t have any meetings this weekend so it’s fine.”

“Only if you want me to kick your ass in every video game you own,” Prompto challenges with a grin.

Noct matches it with a grin of his own. “Oh, you’re on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://k-ovic.tumblr.com/) and [twitter.](https://twitter.com/choco_bee_) Follow for updates, and DMs are always open, so feel free to chat :)


	4. "Come here, let me fix it."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _In which Iggy is the best._
> 
> **Characters:** Noctis; Ignis  
>  **Pairings:** Gen  
>  **Tags:** Fluff; Kid Fic  
>  **Rating/Warnings:** G; None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy another tiny update. I'm really happy with how this one turned out, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did while writing it!
> 
> Typed and posted this all on my phone, so apologies for any mistakes!

“Awww,” comes Noct’s disappointed groan.

Ignis looks up from his coloring book, where a cartoonized griffon is halfway filled in, not a single mark out of the lines. “What's the matter?”

Noct holds out his cupped hands. A purple crayon lays in them, cracked in two near the middle. “I broke it. I need this color, Iggy, or else it won't match!” Noct says with a pout.

“Come here, let me fix it,” Ignis says, and Noct carefully dumps the crayon into Ignis’ outstretched hands. He stands and heads to the desk sat in the corner of the room, Noct scrambling follow and kicking a few crayons across the floor in the process. Ignis opens the top draw and digs through it, while Noct practically hangs off his left arm, standing on his toes to get a better look.

It only takes a moment for Ignis to produce a small roll of tape, ripping a piece off and carefully wrapping it around the crayon. Noct watches with wide eyes, as if Ignis is performing life-saving surgery on the last crayon on Eos.

Ignis adds another piece of tape for good measure, then places the newly fixed crayon back into Noct's waiting hands. “You shouldn’t press so hard with the crayons,” Ignis explains, in all his eight year old wisdom, “that's how they break.”

Noct smiles widely and quickly launches himself forward to wrap tiny arms around a tiny waist. “Thanks, Iggy! You’re the best.”

“You're welcome,” Ignis replies, returning the smile and circling his arms around Noct's shoulders. Noct's still holding the crayon, and Ignis hopes he doesn't accidently get some on either of their clothes.

Noct detaches himself and Ignis puts the tape neatly back into the drawer, right where he found it. The two return to their respective drawings, sprawled on their stomachs on the floor, and lapse back into comfortable silence as they concentrate.

Ignis prefers coloring books, because he finds them relaxing, but Noct doesn’t like to be confined to pre-made drawings. He’d rather make his own, where he can do whatever he wants. Though this often results in Ignis trying his hardest to decipher what Noct had actually drawn, Noct hardly ever seems offended, and simply explains his drawing in immense detail.

“Done!” Noct shouts suddenly, slamming whatever crayon he'd last been using roughly against the floor and pushing himself up hurriedly.

It's only through experience that Ignis doesn't startle and accidentally drag his crayon across the page, ruining his entire drawing. He puts his own crayon down and sits up the mirror Noct's position. “Let's see!” he encourages.

Noct presents his masterpiece for Ignis to inspect. It's some sort of creature, with long legs and an even longer neck. It's colored mostly purple with the crayon Noct had broken earlier, with green stripes across its entire body. It’s standing in what Ignis assumes is a lake, colored blue with little waves drawn randomly. The shoreline next to the water is green with rich grass, and there are a few trees, much smaller than the creature to illustrate its enormous size. Above, the sun is shining a brilliant yellow in a light blue sky dotted with a few puffy clouds.

It's a catoblepas, Ignis thinks, except the colors are obviously wrong. He remembers seeing a few photos of them in a book he and Noct had looked at the other day.

Noct peers over the top of the drawing. “It's a cat- catobel-” Noct tries, confirming Ignis’ suspicions.

“A catoblepas,” Ignis corrects slowly, emphasizing the pronunciations.

“Catoblepas!” Noct cheers, word still clumsy on his tongue. “Do you like it?”

“Of course,” Ignis says immediately, because he honestly does. “I like the colors,” he compliments.

Noct beams. “It's ‘cause purple and green are his favorite colors,” Noct explains excitedly, “and he thinks stripes look cool!”

Ignis laughs. “He does look cool,” he confirms. It's the coolest catoblepas he's ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://k-ovic.tumblr.com/) and [twitter.](https://twitter.com/choco_bee_) Follow for updates, and DMs are always open, so feel free to chat :)


	5. "I'll walk you home."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The scenery isn’t the only thing looking good during golden hour._
> 
> **Characters:** Prompto; Gladiolus  
>  **Pairings:** Promptio  
>  **Tags:** Fluff; Brotherhood Era  
>  **Rating/Warnings:** G; None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter for you guys! I'm not going to commit to any kind of schedule for this fic at the moment, just post them as I finish them. Hope you're enjoying things so far!
> 
> Quick question: Would you guys be interested in having a list of each chapters characters/pairings/applied tags/etc at the beginning of the chapter? I've thought about doing that, but honestly didn't want to bother f it doesn't matter to anyone. However, if that's something you're interested in, please drop a comment and let me know, because it's really no trouble for me to add it :)
> 
> Also, side note: I'm thinking about participating in [Promnis Week](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/promnisweek2019/profile) this year, so be on the look out!

Prompto flops back onto the mat, starfishing out and staring tiredly at the ceiling. His heaving breaths mix with Gladio’s and echo in the empty training room.

“Done for today?” Gladio asks, face appearing upside down in Prompto’s view.

“Think so, big guy,” Prompto replies breathlessly.

Gladio chuckles and circles around, extending a hand to him. “You did good,” he says as he pulls Prompto to his feet. “Could improve your form a little, but we’ll get there.”

“Thanks,” Prompto says with a grin. His face goes a little pink at the praise, and hopes Gladio mistakes it for exertion. Gladio snorts and punches his shoulder playfully, and they both head off to the showers.

Afterwards, when Prompto’s stuffing his gross, sweaty clothes into his backpack, Gladio startles him with a warm hand on his shoulder. “Hey, wait up. I'll walk you home,” Gladio says.

“Oh,” Prompto says, “you don’t have to. It’s probably so far out of your way!”

Gladio waves a hand. “It’s not really that far,” he lies, because Prompto has never been to his place so he doesn’t know.

“It’s fine, dude,” Prompto insists. “I always take the long way on Tuesdays anyways.”

“Oh?” Gladio says curiously, raising an eyebrow.

“I cut through the park to take pictures. We always get done right before golden hour,” Prompto explains, gesturing to the camera he’d already taken out of his bag, sitting on the bench beside it.

“Sounds like fun,” Gladio says, and when Prompto turns to look, Gladio’s grinning widely at him.

Prompto sighs half-heartedly. “Fine,” he says, dragging the word out so long Gladio’s not quite sure how he doesn’t pass out from lack of oxygen. He's matching Gladio’s grin, though, so Gladio knows he doesn't truly mind.

They finish gathering their things and Gladio leads the way out of the Citadel, into the warm summer air. The sun’s already going down, and though it hasn’t hit that perfect spot just yet, Prompto’s confident golden hour will be in full swing by the time they reach the park. He rambles animatedly along the way, and Gladio listens more intently than Prompto thinks he’s ever seen. They bump shoulders every so often as they walk, gently enough that Prompto doesn’t get knocked over by the behemoth that Gladio truly is.

Sure enough, when the park is in sight, the sun is hanging low in the sky, bathing everything in a saturated, orange glow. Gladio lets him lead the way, ambling behind as Prompto scrambles to get as many pictures as he can before the lighting isn’t at its best anymore.

Prompto’s not used to having company on his photography excursions, but it’s kind of nice. He'd been a little worried he’d get too caught up taking pictures to pay any attention to Gladio, or vice versa, but they make a nice balance between the two. They chat about anything and everything while they wander around the park. Gladio compliments him whenever he gets a really good picture, and even points out a few interesting shots that Prompto had nearly overlooked. He finds himself wishing he’d invited Gladio to come along with him every Tuesday.

They end their trip at the fountain in the center of the park, where Prompto busies himself taking his last photos of the night and Gladio seems content to sit quietly until he’s done. After a few minutes, Prompto turns to say something to him, but whatever that something had been dies on his tongue as soon as Gladio is in his view. It’s like his brain is short circuiting.

Gladio’s leaning casually against the edge of the fountain, long legs stretched out in front of him, arms behind him to brace himself on the stone, watching someone playing with their dog in the distance. His already tan skin looks almost golden in this lighting, and his hair ruffles the gentle breeze. He looks calm, relaxed. Prompto blinks, wide-eyed, for a good few seconds, then snaps what is probably an unnecessary amount of shots, because he thinks it might be the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen in his entire seventeen years of existence.

Gladio notices him, turns and gives him the most gentle smile Prompto’s ever received. It’s a far cry from the usual goofy poses Gladio makes when the camera’s pointed in his direction, and Prompto’s heart is beating so fast that he almost forgets to take the picture.

Prompto’s still recovering from his near death experience as they leave the park and start their way towards his house, but thankfully Gladio doesn’t seem to notice. They walk in companionable silence, each in their own thoughts.

All too soon, they're standing on Prompto's doorstep. The night is still, quiet save for the chirping of insects and soft noises of a television drifting from a nearby neighbor's open window.

“Thanks,” Prompto says, “for walking me. I had a lot of fun.”

“Me, too,” Gladio says. His hands are stuffed in the pockets of his sweatpants, and he shifts his weight a little awkwardly, like he wants to say something more.

Prompto beats him to it. “Do you maybe wanna come in for a bit?” he asks, blushing furiously. “We can order a pizza or something, and I can show you the pictures I took, if you want.”

“Yeah,” Gladio says, smiling that same gentle smile, warmer than the summer night’s air, and Prompto nearly melts on the spot, “I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://k-ovic.tumblr.com/) and [twitter.](https://twitter.com/choco_bee_) Follow for updates, and DMs are always open, so feel free to chat :)


	6. "Have a good day at work."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _In which Prompto would really love to quit his job._
> 
> **Characters:** Prompto; Noctis  
>  **Pairings:** Promptis  
>  **Tags:** Fluff; Cuddling  & Snuggling; Brotherhood Era; Established Relationship  
>  **Rating/Warnings:** G; None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason I feel like it's been such a long time since I've updated this, when in reality it's been less than a month. I think it feels that way because I've been writing a bunch of other fics in between updates. Anyways, here you go! I've decided I will be putting characters, pairings, tags and such in the summary of each chapter, so I'll be going back and adding them to previous chapters as well (not that it really matters for those who have already read this far, I just like to be consistent).
> 
> I've also been trying to be a lot more active on twitter; I don't really have many followers but I'd love to have enough to do polls and such in regards to fics to hear more feedback and stuff. Links to both my twitter and tumblr are in the end notes (as always) as well as on my profile page, so feel free to follow! I usually try to post on both whenever I upload anything in case anyone wants to stay up to date. One more quick note: I'm already two weeks into the spring semester, and I'm definitely gonna have a huge workload pretty much 24/7, so I won't have tons of writing time anymore. Thanks for understanding <3
> 
> With that all being said, hope you enjoy the chapter!

The soft trill of his alarm pulls Prompto from his sleep, interrupting a pretty good dream about having his very own chocobo living in his backyard. He doesn't bother opening his eyes just yet, just flings his arm to the side and pats around the nightstand for his phone. Eventually his fingers close around the vibrating device, and he simply clicks one of the buttons on the side to silence it.

Now that the room is quiet once more, he takes a deep breath and yawns, stretches as much as he can with Noctis wrapped around him like some sort of octopus. He glances down to see that Noct’s still asleep, which isn’t really a surprise. His head is tucked between Prompto’s neck and shoulder, soft puffs of breath warm and wet against his skin.

He looks calm, peaceful, missing that little pinch of worry he’s been carrying around lately as his responsibilities pile up and his father slowly gets more and more worn out. Prompto breathes out a soft sigh, reaching out to run a hand through his boyfriend’s sleep-mussed hair. Not for the first time, he wishes he could do more to help Noct through his difficult times. Noct’s assured him on many occasions that listening, providing well-timed distractions, and just  _ being there  _ was more than enough, but Prompto can’t help but feel he could be doing so much more.

Prompto nearly lets his eyes drift closed again. The bed is warm and cozy, and he can hear the quiet patter of rain against the windows, hidden behind dark curtains. It’s the perfect day to just lounge around in bed or curl up on the couch with piles of blankets and movies. He wishes more than anything that he could do just that, tangled up with Noct all day with nothing to worry about, but, unfortunately, he’s got a morning shift at the camera shop where he works part-time.

It’s a dangerous game, sleeping over at Noct’s when he’s got a shift before one in the afternoon, but one Prompto plays quite frequently. He doesn’t even bother trying to pry Noct off of him, knowing it to be an impossible feat. Instead, he nudges him gently and whispers, “Noct, you gotta let go, I gotta get up.”

Noct doesn’t answer right away. Eventually, he mumbles, “No.” His hold tightens, surprisingly strong for being half-asleep.

“I have to go to work, Noct,” Prompto says.

“Call out. Or quit.”

Prompto lets out an amused huff. “I wish.” He pokes at Noct’s cheek, who in turn tries to bury his face further into Prompto’s neck. “C’mon, you promised.”

Noct groans, because he knows Prompto’s got him beat. He  _ had _ promised, the night before, not to keep Prompto from getting ready in the morning in an attempt to persuade Prompto to spend the night. “Fine,” he says, reluctantly releasing Prompto and rolling away. He gives Prompto a grumpy, sleepy look, and Prompto leans down to give him a quick kiss despite their morning breath.

It seems to mollify Noct a bit, because Prompto’s able to slip out of the bed without any resistance. The wooden floor is cool on his bare feet and he hurries into the en-suite to get ready, though the tile in there isn’t much better.

When Prompto comes back into the room, Noct is still in his bed. He’s awake, though barely, curled up in the center with the blankets pulled up over his shoulders and scrolling on his phone. His hair is a ridiculous mess of bed-head, and Prompto can’t help but laugh at the sight. It earns him a sleepy, half-hearted glare.

Noct frees an arm from his nest of blankets, reaching out towards Prompto. Prompto indulges him, but makes sure to stay far enough out of reach that Noct can’t pull him back into the bed. It’s a cheap move, but Noct isn’t above using it.

“Have a good day at work,” Noct mumbles. “You coming back here afterwards?”

Prompto grins. “Guess so,” he says. “After all, you’re gonna need  _ someone  _ here to get you outta bed.”

“I’ll get up,” Noct promises.

“Yeah, and migrate to the couch.” Noct smacks at his arm and Prompto leans away, laughing.

“It’s cool, I’ll be right there with you. Get some movies and games ready?” Prompto asks, and Noct makes a hum in agreement. “See you later then, love you.”

“Love you, too,” Noct says. Prompto’s stomach still erupts in a flurry of butterflies every time they exchange those three words, and he leans down to give Noct one last peck on the lips. He leaves the apartment with a warm feeling in his chest, eager to return to somewhere that finally feels like  _ home. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://k-ovic.tumblr.com/) and [twitter.](https://twitter.com/choco_bee_) Follow for updates, and DMs are always open, so feel free to chat :)


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